Big Girl Bed Update- We Locked Our Toddler in Her Room and She Survived

Just a quick update on the big girl bed situation at our house... It's going really well.

The first night was rough. Harper was up and out of bed constantly. It was a nightmare (one in which nobody in our house was actually sleeping for), much like when she was climbing out of her crib all night long.

Since then, however, life has been good. We lock (don't even think about judging me) Harper's room when she goes to bed and unlock it before we turn in for the night. I know that many people will think this is poor parenting on our part. I don't care. Those people aren't raising a child as willful as Harper and they have probably never tried to run a daycare on no sleep, either. Locking her door was not a decision that I came to lightly. I read a lot and did quite a bit of thinking about it beforehand. In the end, it was something I was willing to try if it meant a good night's sleep for Harper and me. Remember that we'd been almost two weeks without Harper sleeping straight though the night. I was dead tired and so was Harper (even though she would never have admitted it for anything in the world). In order for either of us to keep functioning, we needed rest. We desperately needed rest.

The first time that we locked it, we heard her get up and try to come out. She didn't say anything. She just jiggled her doorknob and knocked lightly once or twice. She didn't cry. She didn't even act alarmed. Once she realized that the "I'm out of bed and I'm so damn cute that you can't get mad at me" game wasn't happening, she went straight back to bed and slept all night (insert Handel's Hallelujah Chorus here). It's been that way every single night since (double chorus). Nap time is equally wonderful and really, I feel like a person again. I'm no longer too tired to blog, read, clean, or take a shower. It's amazing. Absolutely amazing.

Harper is back to her happy Harper self as well. She has been sleeping 10-11 hours a night and taking 2-3 hour naps during the day. I think she is making up for lost time. She is really proud of her big girl bed and climbs into it willingly every night (she is definitely her daddy's daughter in this respect... Colt's absolute favorite time of day is "sleepy time").

I love sharing a story with Harper in her big girl bed. I love tucking her in. I love kissing her when she is sleeping. I love when she wakes up and runs into our room for a morning snuggle and some sour milky breath kisses (my favorite). Harper, as you already know, has the best bed head ever and I just love the way it smells in the morning- like the perfect combination of shampoo, fabric softener, and baby sweat.

Locking Harper's door was a good decision for us. She is certainly not traumatized. In fact, she is happier and healthier because of it. Seriously, an under-rested toddler is neither happy nor healthy. Harper had been 14 days without adequate rest. She was not herself mentally, emotionally, or physically. Something had to be done. We thought about a crib tent and even considered giving in and letting Harper sleep with us. In the end, neither of those options seemed right for us. Locking Harper's door seemed right for us.

As I read about this issue, I came across a lot of opinions and many of them were quite harsh. A lot of people are really quick to judge a parent's choice. What they fail to realize is that parenting isn't a science. It never has been and never will be. When it comes to raising a child, there isn't always a right or wrong answer.

Colt and I are first time parents and like many, we are doing the very best we can. We would never do anything to harm Harper, either emotionally or physically. We made this decision- the decision to lock her in her room- the same way that we've made all of our Harper related choices: with love. 

As it turns out, our loving choice was the right choice for us. Harper is sleeping. Colt and I are sleeping. Everyone is happy and I do believe that the Adams family deserves a gold star because we. are. awesome.